I hope you were able to take advantage of the delightful mild weather we have been enjoying to get out and ride your bike (I was actually out in shorts!).
For today is March 13th, the birthday of Charles Eadward Pratt, born in Vassalboro, Maine, in 1845. Pratt was an early pioneer and advocate of cycling, and wrote one of the earliest cycling guidebooks, The American Bicycler, in 1879. Pratt served as the first president of the League of American Wheelmen, and is considered by some as the Father of American Bicycling.
Not to mention that he is a native-born Mainer (I did mention it, didn't I?) and that certainly qualifies him as one of our patron saints hereabouts. Here is an 1879 photo of the man himself (courtesy of the Smithsonian) with his wheel, taken in a studio most likely prior to quick jaunt out into the countryside.
Happy Birthday, Charles E. Pratt!
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